1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to rope descenders, specifically to a pressure sensitive device which would allow a first time user in an emergency situation a safe descent to the ground.
2. Prior Art
Inventors have been introducing fire escape descent devices since the late 1800's when buildings began exceeding the heights of personal comfort. Considering the fact that an extremely small number of these devices are ever used for the purpose in which they were intended, the general public's interest is limited in this product. Since the 1950's this type of device has been reborn, and is now generally associated with rock climbers and high-rise window cleaners.
I have personally experienced a wide range of descent devices which are used in climbing and window cleaning. Climbers are constantly experiencing falls and injury from out of control descent speeds. Window cleaning customers who live and work in high-rise buildings have for many years expressed a fire safety concern for a system anyone could use in an emergency situation.
The inventions I have located in searching the prior art do allow descent, but without safety, confidence and ease of use. Without instilling these three factors into the mind of the intended user most people will refrain from using any descent device. My descent device has the ability to satisfy these conditions.
Thereafter inventors have created many types of descent retarding devices of which the most closely related being U.S. Pat. No. 4,311,218 to Steffen 1980. The failure of this device to incorporate handles, leaves the user no option but to hold onto the rope while descending. Letting the rope slide through your hands can easily cause burns, and loss of control. Should loss of control occur, this device has no means of automatically arresting a fall.
One of the newer patents issued, U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,484 to Green 1989 is very clearly too complicated to install in an emergency, leaving the user afraid to hand from a device that might not be rigged properly. Having a cover also hinders undoing a snag in the rope that sometimes occurs, leaving you in worse shape than when you started.
Very large devices U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,654 issued to Lu 1986 have always been shunned by rescue workers. The ability to maneuver through small spaces is a common situation. The weight and material of the device will be a concern to anyone having to climb to an emergency situation. The cost of this descender would not make it competitive with others on the market.
All of the descenders and similar devices heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantages;
(a) most are not cost effective to produce PA0 (b) they tend to be too intricate to hook up PA0 (c) there is no emergency stopper if they get out of control PA0 (d) feeding a rope through your hands will produce burns PA0 (e) there are no incorporations for adjusting to different weights PA0 (f) most have no handles PA0 (g) ropes that twist while running through most descenders also make the person suspended from this device spin. PA0 (a) to provide a device that is adjustable for different weights PA0 (b) to provide a device that people will understand and easily load PA0 (c) to make this device affordable to everyone PA0 (d) to provide a high quality product that will be trusted PA0 (e) to provide a device that will stop you automatically and save your life if you should lose control PA0 (f) to provide a device with handles for additional safety.